by Zach Abrams
“Nothing else?”
“I didnae see anything else. If there was other valuables, he never let on.”
“What did you do with the money?”
“We ran off, and once we were safe, we divvied up. Kev kept most o' it but gave me two hundred quid.”
“Tell me about Fergus Hardy?” Sandra probed.
“Who?” Tommy asked
“The man at the court on Tuesday. Did you not know who he was?”
“Kev said he had a job. He was to put the frighteners on some bloke and we'd all get paid. There was four o' us, Kev, Sean, Big Mal and me.”
“Who was the job for?”
“Ah dunno, some guy Kev knew.”
“And why was he wanting to scare Hardy?”
“Don't ask me. It was nothin' to do wi' me. All I was telt was we were to get paid to do it, but it all went wrang.”
“How do you mean?” Sandra asked.
“The idea was to give him a bit o' a scare. We did that okay, but Kev thought if we pushed him up onto the wall it would give him a real fright. It was only five feet high, maybe no' even as much. The problem was Sean didn't realise his own strength and pushed too hard. The guy went right over the top o' the wall and there was a big drop on the other side. It was an accident, really it was. We didnae mean to hurt him bad.”
“Did you check what happened?” Sandra asked.
“Shit no, we heard his scream and legged it before anyone else came alang.”
“You don't seem too upset by it all,” Sandra commented.
“No' a lot o' point. It had already happened, there's nothin' we could have done. Why risk gettin' caught?”
“How much were you paid?”
“No' a bean. Kev said we'd screwed up and he'd be in bother, so we weren't gettin' anythin'.”
“How did you feel about that?”
“It was right enough. Sean had blown it. I'd no reason to complain. Big Mal wisnae happy though.”
“What did Devosky say?” Sandra asked, dropping the name hoping for a reaction.
“Who's Devosky?” Tommy replied, without as much as blinking.
“The name means nothing to you?” Sandra continued.
“I dinnae recognise it. Who is he?”
“Never mind, we can leave it 'til later. You said Mal wasn't happy.”
“Aye, he claimed he'd done everythin' asked o' him and was being penalised for someone else's mistake. Kev calmed him down, telt him he'd have plenty o' opportunity to make up his lost earnings.”
“And how was he planning to deliver?” Sandra enquired.
“Kev said he'd sort him out. He had mates who'd be able to use him on some jobs he knew about.”
“Who were the mates and who else was in on all of this?” Sandra tried.
“I dinnae know. All this was between the two o' them. I wasnae meant to hear any o' it, but from what I saw, Mal seemed happy enough.”
“What happened with Carson, the man who set up Hardy?”
“Later that day, Kev and I talked about him. We realised he could identify us and we were worried he might turn us in. We decided to track him down and have a word. We found out he was stayin' in a flat near the river. Kev set up lookouts to watch for him.
“They tracked him down. We wanted to warn him off. After we found him, we tried speakin' to him, but he'd have none o' it. He wouldnae listen to a word, so we gave him a bit o' a kickin' to get his attention.
“In the end, he said he'd do or say whatever we wanted him to, but the more he promised the less believable he sounded. Kev said we'd never be able to rely on him and I agreed, but I'd no idea what he had in mind. He picked up a big bit of pavin' stone and walloped him on the heid. Carson collapsed onto the road and he wisnae moving. I had nothin' to do wi' it. Then Kev said we needed to drop him in the river. He said it'd waken him up and then he'd get away. But he'd learn a lesson. There's no way he'd cross us an' he'd be too feart to say anythin'. Anyway, that's what we did.
“We heard the splash and then there was nothin' else. We thought with him out o' the way, they'd be no way of tying anythin' to us.”
“But you were wrong,” Sandra said.
“Yes, I see that now. But as I said, it wisnae me. Sean made a mistake which ended in Hardy gettin' hurt. Kev is the one you should be speakin' to about the assault on Carson.”
It was an effort for Sandra and Peter not to show their amazement at the cold, callous account. The boy showed no emotion and gave the impression he considered his actions justified. It was all someone else's fault and he was an innocent bystander only doing what he had to.
“It wasn't only an assault, it was murder. Carson was badly injured but he was still alive when he was thrown in the water and left to drown. Which means you're party to the murder.”
“I telt you, it was Kev, it wisnae me. An' I've telt you everythin'. You cannae blame me. It wisnae my fault.”
“Thank you for your help,” Sandra answered, a distinct sarcastic note in her voice. “You can be assured we'll advise the fiscal how helpful you've been.”
“Just make sure you dinnae let Kev hear. Ah wouldnae give much for my chances if he were to get hold o' me.”
Outside the interview room, Sandra and Peter congratulated each other on a job well done. They agreed they had enough to charge both Sean and Tommy, but it was Kevin Speirs they most wanted to go after. Sandra felt they had more than enough to bring him in and charge him but decided it would be better left for the morning, when they'd be fresh. With both Sean and Tommy detained, there was little chance of him being forewarned.
“Not a bad result,” Peter said. “We have enough to take them both down and we'll be able to get Speirs too. If only we could prove the link to Devosky, then we'd have the whole lot.”
“Let's see if anything further has come in while we were tied up. I'll check while you write up the reports on these two.”
“You're all heart, Boss. It was an early start this morning and it's been non-stop ever since. I've a feeling tomorrow will be the same, so I'll happily call it a night once this is done. You're looking pretty shattered yourself.”
“You say the most flattering things, you certainly know how to make a girl feel good about herself,” Sandra scowled, jokingly.
Peter's face flushed bright red. “I'm sorry, Sandra, I didn't mean…”
“Got you! Tired I may be, but my brain's not dead yet,” she replied with a chuckle.
Peter shook his head while settling down to start his paperwork at the desk facing Sandra.
* * *
A tall stack of documents was waiting on Sandra's desk. Within moments, she'd leafed through them, binning several on the way and discarding the non-urgent in a filing tray, retaining only the most critical to her current work. Picking up the first folder, she perused the contents and was gratified to see the Sheriff had ruled on the claim for dismissal of evidence affected by the hold up. He'd been completely pragmatic in his approach, declaring no item stolen from the safe could be used or alluded to. However, for all items which hadn't been removed from the safe, he was satisfied the chain of custody was complete and declared that he'd permit them for use in their respective cases.
“If it's true, Speirs was working for Devosky, then might he have lifted the wrong package?” Peter asked.
“It could well be that he did, or else maybe they did it by design and thought they were being clever, if they didn't want there to be a direct link. Do you see what I mean? He took the evidence relating to a case Zennick and Devosky had no connection with, thinking it would make the evidence in their case inadmissible. I hope that's what happened, because if it is, then they've outsmarted themselves and they'll have achieved nothing. Good, isn't it?” Sandra had a broad grin.
“Zennick's not going to be too happy,” Peter surmised. “It's a shame for him, isn't it? But with a bit of luck, it might force Devosky back into the open.”
“No sign of it so far,” Sandra replied while her eyes scann
ed a document, “According to this, there's been no activity on Devosky's mobile since Tuesday and it hasn't even been switched on to pick up a trace. The second number, the one Gilchrist connected to him on, is registered to some guy by the name of Campbell located in Greenock. It hasn't moved out of the area and seems to have had fairly normal use making only local and national calls. We can pick him up and see what he can tell us. Another job for tomorrow.”
“I'm nearly done here. I've noted all the important stuff and I can flesh out the report in the morning. I'm off home for some beauty sleep. I need it even if you don't,” Peter grinned.
“You're learning, boy. You're learning.”
Chapter 20
Both totally exhausted, Sandra and Alex collapsed into bed. Neither one had been very hungry after an arduous day. They'd drunk piping hot tea and snacked on warm buttered toast followed by shortbread biscuits. Deciding there was nothing worth watching on television, they both felt too tired to start watching a DVD. Although physically drained, their minds were racing. They each had matching Kindles lying on their bedside tables, but each sat untouched, as they lay alongside one another discussing their days, delighting in their own and each other's progress.
“Tomorrow could be a big day. What's your plan?” Alex enquired.
“No plan as such. I don't want to be wrong footed when something unexpected happens. It's inevitable that it will and, if I'm blinkered by following a plan, I'll be thrown.”
Alex was amused but shook his head in a mocking fashion. “Come on, no-one said you had to wear blinkers, and besides, what you've described, being prepared for the unexpected is a plan in itself.”
Sandra punched his shoulder playfully. “Yeah, fair enough. My first priority is to bring in Speirs and get his version of events. From what I've heard already, I'm fairly certain he's the one I need to get for all three crimes. I'm hoping I'll be able to break him and get a link back to Devosky and Zennick, but I'm far from optimistic. Have any of your contacts come up with anything useful I can use?”
“Only what I've already told you. I'll give them a chase first thing to see if they have anything new for me, but I reckon it's a waste of time. They'd have come back to me themselves if there was anything significant.”
“Yes, I suppose,” Sandra replied. “I'm aiming to visit this man Campbell. I'm really wanting to tie in a link to Devosky before the organised crime team come a-calling.”
“I understand, but from what you've told me there isn't much reason for them to show interest. There may be friction between different groups, and I'm not trying to say there's not more to it, but on the face of it, Hardy's injuries were caused by Sean being over-enthusiastic and Carson's death was caused by the other lads trying to cover up. It wasn't gang related. It's not like war breaking out on the streets. Mind you, there's always the possibility of Speirs having different connections and motives. Hopefully, you'll learn a lot more after you talk to him.”
“I've ordered a check on his phone records, but it hasn't come through yet,” Sandra advised.
“Don't hold your breath,” Alex said. “Everything you've told me suggests he's too smart or at least too aware to give anything away.”
“You're probably right, but he's arrogant too. I'm hoping he'll be complacent enough to have made a mistake.”
“Good luck. I might need some myself too,” Alex added.
“Why would you need luck? You're already home and dry. You have your evidence against Graeme Armstrong and Yvonne Kitson. All you're looking for now is a confession.”
“Dream on. It's not likely to be so simple. I can't see either of them confessing and although I have two suspects, both of whom as individuals have the motive and opportunity, there's also the distinct possibility they could be working together in concert.”
“I can't get my head round it. I can understand them wanting to kill Sheila. And from what you've told me about her behaviour and eccentricities, I can imagine lots of people would have wanted to kill her. Graeme and Yvonne had the strongest motives. They'd probably had to deal with a lot more of her strange controlling ways and, as she was also the one in their way of a future together, they had everything to gain. They had everything to gain financially as well, as it seems Sheila held the purse strings and was the main earner. They also had access to what now appears to be the murder weapon. Yeah, I get all that. What I don't get is the whole theatrical bit. Why would anyone choose such a contrived way to kill her unless they were every bit as strange as she was? Have you checked it out with a criminal psychologist? Was it some sort of demonstration of power? Did they hate Sheila that much they had to make an exhibition of her death? There can't have been anything in it for them other than some perverse gratification. There must have been a hundred more subtle and effective ways to kill her and bring less attention to the incident and to themselves. That suggests to me they wanted the attention, they craved the limelight so much they were ready to risk getting caught. With her medical prognosis, they would have been easier and safer leaving her to die. They wouldn't have had to wait very long and it would have been risk free,” Sandra offered.
“Thanks for the complete rundown of my case; I'll maybe get you to do the report too,” Alex jested. “Although you don't have it all. You're presupposing they knew about Sheila's medical condition. Graeme claims it was completely news to him and his reaction seemed genuine enough. I accept we're dealing with thespian types and they're no doubt very good at faking their reactions, but even so, they're comparative amateurs to some of the villains we normally deal with. What you were saying before has got me thinking. I will ask a psychologist for a professional opinion, but in the meantime, I see a lot of sense in what you've said. Most criminals want to hide from attention, but in this case, the murderer or murderers wanted to shock everyone. They wanted them to see and talk about the result of what they'd done. Kitson is used to being on stage and looking for attention. However, Armstrong is normally behind the scenes and gets his satisfaction from people appreciating his work without being aware of his contribution. Yes, you might be onto something. I had been feeling really uncomfortable about charging him. I couldn't accept how or why he'd kill Sheila that way, but this theory might just fly.”
“While you're speaking to a psychologist, you might want to ask for his opinion on Sheila's behaviour. This whole tumour thing has me wondering if it could explain the way she treated people, her aggression and her promiscuity. From what you've told me, she has changed over the years and become more and more extreme. Is it likely the change might have been caused by a growing tumour affecting her brain?”
“I really don't know, Sandra. I've heard of criminal defences claiming a head injury had changed the person's character, but I've never put much store in it. I put it down to smart lawyers coming up with improbable excuses to try to get their clients off. Perhaps there is something to it, but I can't imagine how something like that can change a person. I would imagine it could cause a change of emphasis or a loss of inhibitions. I understand that's not uncommon with dementia or stroke victims, but it seems illogical to me for a person to change and become evil if the tendency wasn't there in the first place.”
“I suppose you have a point, but I really don't know about these things. It might be best to talk to an expert. In any event, I don't see it makes much difference. The facts are, Sheila Armstrong was a nasty piece of work. She upset a lot of people and perhaps she upset someone enough to take her life in the most outrageous way. Does it really matter why she was the way she was?” Sandra asked.
“You're right, of course, it's for my own satisfaction. I want to understand why things happen the way they do. If I can come to terms with people's motivation, then I feel a lot happier doing my job.”
“And what's your motivation at the moment?” Sandra laughed as she snuggled close allowing Alex's powerful arms to envelop her.
“Right now, my only motivation is to get some sleep. It's been a long, long day, it's late and we h
ave another early start,” he said, kissing her brow then manoeuvring their position to rest her head against his shoulder.
Despite their best intentions, anticipating the day ahead filled their heads and neither managed much restful sleep. By 7am they were both up, fed, dressed and anxious to face their respective challenges.
While waiting for Kitson to be brought in for interview, Alex checked the results of the search on Armstrong's house which Steve and Phil had attended. Full forensic tests would take some time to come in, but the preliminary report made interesting reading. Alex was curious when he learned of a vault in the basement where Sheila kept a stock of each of her published titles. There was also a stack of lever arch files with copies of all her royalty statements and bank records and a bookcase with first edition copies of all her books. Tucked away on the lowest shelf was a stack of very raunchy magazines, not illegal, but more explicit than those you'd usually find on a newsagent's top shelf. Alex wondered whether she read them for research or titillation or maybe both. A considerably more important find was a lightweight, sterling silver belcher chain with a heart-shaped drop engraved with the initials 'YK' found in the bedroom. The report was typed but Phil had added a scrawled pencil comment saying it was lucky Yvonne Kitson didn't have a middle name starting with 'K' or they may have overlooked the chain mistaking the 'YKK' for the logo of the zip company.
However, most significant of all, in Graeme's workshop at the bottom of a waste bin, they found an empty display box. Fitted inside the box was an insert to securely hold two knives of the type used for the killing. The knives themselves were missing but the lining had the printed name 'Top Hat Suppliers.' Alex was gleeful at the discovery of this new and vital piece of evidence. The joy was only marginally tempered when he read the result of dusting for prints revealed nothing as the box had apparently been wiped clean before being discarded.
There was a distinct spring in their steps when he and Sanjay marched into the interview room to speak to Kitson and her lawyer.
Following the formalities, Alex wasted no time in mounting his challenge. “We've come a long way since we last spoke. We now have irrefutable evidence implicating you and Graeme Armstrong.”
